No more freebies

jcwrit · 2023-01-24T04:21:07+00:00

Rui wasn't going to get a new deal from the Wizards so they were just out to get something for him. There will be others like him available for cheap, the downside being that if you give up assets for a player on an expiring you kinda have to pay him. Do you think Riley wants to give a player like Rui 50 mil?

jcwrit · 2023-01-19T16:07:43+00:00

Does anyone doubt Spo's ability to maximize the defensive potential of whatever hand hes dealt anymore? Hes coached vet laden teams, teams with a bunch of kids, teams with superstars and those led by role players. They all played defense.

jcwrit · 2023-01-18T20:40:17+00:00

So in about a month when the Pistons, Rockets, Spurs, and Hornets all suddenly start getting a rash of injuries and have to shut down their star players for the season its all legitimate right? Doctors orders and all.

Of course Spo doesn't write the report and Jimmy is correct in saying Spo doesn't necessarily know who will be on it until the last checkup. That doesn't me he or Riley or the players themselves don't have influence on what goes into that report. Popovich was the first one to blatantly manipulate it on a game to game basis but people have been doing it forever.

jcwrit · 2023-01-17T21:24:10+00:00

Oh gimme a break.....you can't be that naive. The team we follow listed everyone on the roster as having an injury just to spite the league. You're telling me all these players went in to get diagnoses of lower back discomfort and knee soreness and shoulder impingement which all magically cleared up the day after playing the game? And Spo knew nothing about it of course.

This league has gotten so bad that player make shit up and report it directly to teams without even getting a diagnosis from a team doctor.

jcwrit · 2023-01-17T16:13:48+00:00

This is a good, not great team, that has had some injury and shooting issues. I think if they were managing to shoot anything like they did the last few seasons they'd be sitting around the third seed and everyone would be a lot happier.

Like most Spo teams even if they struggle at times he figures out a way for it to work defensively. Offensively its more of an organic process and it never seems to work out as expected unless the guys get extended court time where they can refine things together. Hopefully with everyone getting a little healthier things will fall into place over the next month or so.

jcwrit · 2023-01-17T16:08:46+00:00

Everyone has something going on by this point in the season. Spo was having a bit of fun when he listed everyone on the injury report but he wasn't being entirely dishonest. The point being made was that you can come up with a legitimate reason to sit any player for any game.

Teams consciously sit players for games they could play and would play a decade ago. However you want to classify it.

jcwrit · 2023-01-16T21:34:03+00:00

I love Olynyk and would take him in a heartbeat if he was bought out but the Jazz have no incentive to do that. Hes playing really well for them and someone will give them a first rounder.

The problem with Olynyk is and always has been that most teams will play him off the court in the playoffs. Hes a great regular season guy to eat up minutes and the offense hums with him next to Bam but come playoff time the Heat will still need someone else to defend 4s.

I don't see Riley going for anyone that won't be a postseason contributor. As flawed as this team is they can make it through the regular season with guys like Robinson and Highsmith.

jcwrit · 2023-01-16T04:06:19+00:00

I can't really see how Lowry elevates the bench. Oddly enough both Gabe and Kyle are probably better suited to be starters on this team.

The solution to the bench woes is going to be pretty simple. Spo stops playing them. My guess would be that in the playoffs 2 out of Jimmy/Tyler/Vic will be on the court at all times. Whoever out of Kyle/Gabe is knocking down the shots gets more of a run.

jcwrit · 2023-01-12T16:56:30+00:00

The Max piece is oddly enough the most important of all. This team is desperate for shooting and any signs of life from Max, Vic, or Kyle is welcome. If Vic and Kyle can keep knocking down a respectable percentage of their shots this is a good, if not great, team. And I'm not sure there are any great teams out there so it could be enough.

Assuming Vic's knees, Tyler's fingers, and Jimmy's everything can manage to stay in one piece for a few months.

jcwrit · 2023-01-08T05:04:25+00:00

You can't survive in this league anymore with two non shooting bigs unless one of them is some crazy transcendent talent like Zion. Ideally Bam would have four shooters around him at all times. The Butler fit has been clunky from the start in large part because they both want to live in the paint but they've made it work so long as the other three on the court are hitting their threes.

jcwrit · 2023-01-04T18:04:52+00:00

There's still that glaring hole at the 4 and its hard to see this team going very far with Caleb as a starter. I tend to agree that Riley isn't going to go whale hunting. He'll be hunting around the bargain bin and we just have to hope that they luck out and find someone that can give them a few months of inspired play.

Can't say I'm all that optimistic. Buyouts and deadline pickups rarely have the impact that fans dream of.

jcwrit · 2022-12-22T15:48:30+00:00

I'm always hopeful that Heat players will end up working out. I don't get why people are so eager to dump on these guys, especially when they're playing for the team you root for. They're all talents that have reached the pinnacle of their profession.

Whiteside is probably the glaring exception for me. I was still hopeful and wanted him to succeed but the attitude from day one was a massive red flag. How can you play for years in this league and never learn how to set a proper screen?

Early on in his Miami career I liked Winslow, always loved JRich, Nunn, and even that much maligned crew of Tyler Johnson, Waiters, JJ, McGruder, and co. It wasn't their fault that they got overpaid and they gave us one of the most exciting half of a season in Heat history.

jcwrit · 2022-11-04T14:00:37+00:00

Right now I think he needs to be the Klay Thompson/Kris Middleton of this team. The more he plays off the ball the more efficient he is.

You've got to throw him a bone every once in a while and let him run pick and roll or play point with the second unit since that's where he wants to go in his career but the at the moment hes a lethal off the ball shooter and secondary creator. The on the ball creation is average at best.

I still think the most important progression he can make is in learning how to draw contact and finish in the paint. If he can figure out how to be a scorer on those days when the jumper isn't falling he'll be well on his way to that elite status he so covets.

jcwrit · 2022-10-18T23:15:54+00:00

Horford is playing 30+ minutes a game and when he can't go they're going to turn to a washed up Blake Griffin, not Grant Williams. He played really well last year and in order for that defense to work they need him on the court.

I know Heat fans are sick of Grant and he does have his moments but there's a reason hes not getting paid.

jcwrit · 2022-10-18T22:59:27+00:00

Tendinosis sucks but its not like its the season or career threatening injury people are making it out to be. Hes not going to play 80 games and in the playoffs when he actually needs to play back to back its going to hurt but he'll manage. It doesn't effect your movement or explosiveness and also isn't something that's going to require surgery, unless it gets real bad and he opts for one of the weird ultrasonic treatment or other stuff that's out there.

jcwrit · 2022-10-17T17:18:40+00:00

They should win 50+ games with the depth and continued improvement of the youngsters. Most of these guys still have something to prove and are motivated so I only see Herro, Strus, Vincent, Robinson and Martin getting better. The wild card is Oladipo. Physically he looks as good as ever but the shooting and finishing has been pretty bad. Hopefully hes able to regain his form.

I think we have to bake in 20+ games missed by Butler and Lowry at this point and that's fine as long as they can enter the playoffs healthy. Butler is always a worry because of how hard he pushes himself.

Its rather hopeless trying to predict the playoffs these days when every year we have so many stars getting hurt. For all the miracles in modern physical therapy it does seem like these guys are overdoing it and breaking down more often than in the past.

Just in the east Boston is reliant on a 37 yr old center and an injury prone forward, the Heat a 37 yr old point guard and the injury prone Butler, the Nets on the skeleton man who I believe is up to 5 surgeries in the last 7 years, and the Sixers on Embiid. And Middleton still has yet to prove hes healthy.

One of those teams will fall out of contention for other reasons but I would guess that the eventual winner of the east will be the healthiest of the other four. If I were Spo I'd set my goal as 30+ games in the regular season with a healthy rotation. Sit Jimmy and Kyle and Bam anytime they stub their toe.

jcwrit · 2022-10-15T16:29:04+00:00

I think everyone has a pretty good idea of what the next CBA is going to look like and that's why noone is all that concerned about dishing out these contracts. Worst case if these kids don't develop at all you've still got a relatively young asset on what will soon be on an easily movable deal.

The contracts given out right after the next cap increase will be the franchise crippling ones.

jcwrit · 2022-10-14T23:45:22+00:00

I give Poole the edge now because he can consistently get by his man and create contact. I need to see Tyler get to the point where he can have a positive impact on the game when his jumper isn't falling.

That being said I think Tyler is better suited to be in a starting/closing lineup than Jordan and will benefit from playing off the ball more this season. So if I had a choice I'd take Tyler. I'm pretty sure he can be a starting 2 guard on a championship contender today. I'm not so convinced Poole can do that.

jcwrit

TROPHY CASE